On May 16, 2026, the Tustin Police Department arrested Juan Marquez in connection with the murder of Sandra Rodriguez, which occurred on May 14, 2026, at the intersection of Yorba Street and Medford Avenue.
On May 14th, 2026, Tustin Police Department officers responded to a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located the victim, Sandra Rodriguez, 42 of Anaheim, who had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The investigation revealed that the suspect, Juan Marquez, 47 of Hawthorne, is a former boyfriend of Sandra and laid in wait near Sandra’s workplace. He killed her after she had left for home.
TPD Detectives were able to identify and confirm Marquez’s involvement in the shooting. Investigators learned that, following the homicide, Marquez fled across the U.S.-Mexico border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
An arrest warrant for Marquez was obtained and on the afternoon of May 16th, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), acting on the warrant, detained Marquez as he returned to the United States through the border checkpoint.
Tustin Police Detectives took Marquez into custody and booked him into the Orange County Jail on the charge of murder. He is currently being held without bail.
Rodriguez was an Anaheim resident who had just started a new job at a local nonprofit. She left behind two minor children and a young adult. Her oldest child turned 22 the day after Rodriguez was murdered. Her youngest child is 5-years-old.
Legal Penalties Faced by the Suspect
Juan Marquez faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison, or life in prison without the possibility of parole (LWOP), under California law.
Because the Tustin Police Department explicitly detailed that Marquez “laid in wait” near Sandra’s workplace, prosecutors can elevate the base charge to First-Degree Murder.
The specific legal penalties and compounding sentencing factors Marquez faces include:
1. First-Degree Murder Sentence
- Base Penalty: A conviction for first-degree murder in California carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.
2. “Lying in Wait” Special Circumstance
- The Law: Under California Penal Code Section 190.2(a)(15), intentionally killing a victim by means of “lying in wait” (concealing oneself, watching, and waiting for an opportune moment to launch a surprise attack) is classified as a special circumstance.
- The Penalty: If prosecutors formally charge and prove this special circumstance, the law eliminates the standard 25-years-to-life sentence. Instead, the penalty automatically escalates to Life in Prison Without the Possibility of Parole (LWOP).
3. Firearm Enhancements
- The Law: Under California’s Personal Use of a Firearm enhancement (Penal Code Section 12022.53(d)), intentionally discharging a firearm and causing great bodily injury or death during a felony carries a mandatory consecutive enhancement.
- The Penalty: This adds an additional 25 years to life sentence that must be served after or in addition to the base murder sentence.
4. Flight to Avoid Prosecution
- The Impact: While fleeing across the San Ysidro Port of Entry to Mexico does not carry a separate lengthy prison term on its own, a defendant’s flight is legally admissible in court as powerful evidence of “consciousness of guilt.” Prosecutors will use his immediate escape across the border to dismantle any defense claims of an accident or self-defense.
What a lo life coward scum. He should get the D.P for what he did to that Mother. The Mother that passed away…. R.I.P. As for the surviving kids, my heart & condolences goes out to you guys.